Time
by KateMarie999
Summary: Tadashi always vented to Honey Lemon when he was feeling frustrated. This time, however, he does a little more. Tadahoney one-shot


_Let me just say that this is a first: usually my sister and I ship the same people but she's on a Tomadashi kick while I've embraced Tadahoney. But I will say that I support a lot of ships in this fandom because none are canon. As long as it's not creepy (including, but not limited to, anything involving Baymax), I'm okay with it. Okay you've waited long enough! On to the story!_

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><p><strong>Time<strong>

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><p>He always waited until the last minute to talk to her. No matter what she was doing, whether it was researching or experimenting or taking a break and listening to music, he always found a way to interrupt her.<p>

Not that she _minded_, of course. She just thought his timing was rather amusing.

Today was no exception. She had spent an entire day cooped up in the lab experimenting and then washing pink goo out of her clothes and hair. The pink stains would serve as a reminder to put her hair up and not wear white while experimenting but at least she'd remembered her goggles. It wouldn't do to have to wash her eyes out. Again.

So when she heard a timid knock on the door, she hadn't been thinking much about her appearance. On the contrary, she had just been thinking about getting out of the lab and interacting with the outside world. Well, this was partially true. In actuality, she really wanted to chatter away about what she had discovered but she couldn't do that without someone to listen.

"Tadashi!" she exclaimed cheerfully as she threw open the door. "I was hoping it'd be you! I have so much to..." she trailed off when she noticed the bags under his eyes and the obviously fake smile on his face. "Sorry. You're upset. Should I make some tea?"

"Tea?" Tadashi rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times before the word registered. "Would you make some... oh. Yeah, okay. Thanks, Honey Lemon."

Honey walked over to the kettle and quickly poured some water in it before placing it back on the table and pressing a button. She had exactly two minutes and twelve seconds before the water became unbearably hot and the last thing Tadashi needed right now was a burnt tongue. When she turned around, he was already sitting down, head in his hands and looking thoroughly miserable.

"What's wrong?" Honey asked, slowly sitting down next to him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Did something happen?"

"Not exactly. Well maybe. I don't know." Tadashi ran his hands down his face and Honey was able to take in his more haggard appearance. It was clear he hadn't shaved in a few days and his eyes seemed to be incapable of opening fully.

Honey smiled weakly. "You're the one who wanted to build a medical robot. Can't really do its job if you're not honest, you know? So what's wrong? Let me diagnose you."

She was relieved to see Tadashi smile at this. "Baymax doesn't work." his head suddenly snapped up. "I have tried everything. Calibrated everything that had to be calibrated. Double and triple and _quadruple_ checked the hardware and the software but when I activate him, nothing. 83 tests in and I can't figure out what I did wrong! According to everything I've checked, he should be working just fine. What am I doing wrong?"

"Hey, calm down." Honey rubbed his shoulder in a comforting way. It was upsetting to see him this frustrated, especially when he had been _so_ excited about this idea. "Just take a few deep breaths."

Tadashi gave her a sideways glance and obeyed. "Wow that... that actually did feel a bit better."

"See?" Honey's fingers trailed his back and she suddenly gasped. "Gosh, you're so tense."

"I am?" Tadashi arced his back in a stretch and winced. "Okay, maybe a little."

"Hold still." Honey used her thumbs to press into the knots on his back. Tadashi flinched at first but finally relaxed and allowed her to rub them. "Okay, I think I know what Baymax's problem is."

"How can you know that when you haven't seen him since last week?" Tadashi turned his head and winked at her, causing her to roll her eyes.

"It's a pretty common affliction that we scientists and inventors seem to pick up quite a bit." Honey's muscles were already getting a bit tired from the effort in soothing her friend's backache but she determinedly continued. "If Baymax were operational, I think he'd tell you that you're too tired to keep working. He'd just say it in medical jargon."

Tadashi breathed a laugh and put his face back into his palms. "I'm okay. I just really wanted to get this done and show it to my brother. It'd blow his mind."

"Why is that so important to you?" Honey asked, her eyes not leaving a particularly tough knot on his shoulder.

"Because he's not really applying himself. Did I tell you he's been getting into bot fighting? Bot fighting!" Tadashi threw up his arms, causing Honey frown in frustration but refrain from comment. "Ohhh what am I going to do with him, Honey? I can't even get him to set foot in here. I was hoping Baymax would change his mind. But I can't show him a project I can't finish."

"You'll get it right." Honey smiled as the final knot was soothed. She put her arms around his shoulders in a soft hug. "I know you will because if you're half as stubborn as you say Hiro is, you won't stop until you do."

"You're probably right. Thanks for the back rub." Tadashi stretched his arms out on both sides and made a humming noise before relaxing again.

"But until Baymax is operational, let me be your personal healthcare companion." Honey scooted out from behind her friend and waited for him to turn to face her. She smiled at the amused smirk on his face.

"Sorry, Honey, but I don't remember you mentioning that you were a doctor." Tadashi quipped.

"That's because I'm not. But I know _you_ so that should count for something." Honey's smile widened at the look of exasperation forming on Tadashi's face. Sometimes kidding around with him was _such_ fun. "You need a hot shower and a nap. So go do that before you get back to tinkering."

"Awww but Honey..." Tadashi whined with a sly grin on his face.

"Do as you're told!" Honey demanded, crinkling her nose as she gave him an mischievous smirk. "Or no dessert for a week."

"Now that's just blackmail." Tadashi narrowed his eyes at her before standing up and stretching again. "But thank you."

Honey stood up to show him out, the smirk still on her face. "It's nothing. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you what to do."

"Really now?" Tadashi leaned against the doorframe. "And you're offering to do that for me?"

Honey stared at him in confusion_._ Was it the lack of sleep or was the look he was giving her oddly... _flirtatious_? Nah... it couldn't be. Could it? Why would he be flirting with her? Just as she opened her mouth to reply, a loud whistling pierced the air.

"Omigosh!" Honey bolted to the back of the room to turn off the kettle. "I forgot about the tea! I'm sorry!"

"It's okay. Just got distracted." Tadashi's expression was back to normal when she turned to face him again. "But I should be getting back."

"Yeah." Honey nodded. "Well my door's always open. Figuratively, of course. I have to close it if I think there'll be a chemical reaction or something... you know what I meant."

The seductive grin returned for a split second as Tadashi laughed before nodding to her and walking back to the lab.

_Well_, she thought, _that was weird. Is weird even the right word?_

Perhaps she would think about it later. She still had time, after all.

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><p>She <em>really<em> needed to remember to tie her hair back.

Never mind the fact that she'd finally figured out a new formula for her current project, she was getting tired of washing chemical remnants out of her long locks. At least she'd been alone in the lab all morning so no one was likely to give her a hard time about it. This was one of many reasons she liked to get up early to start her work.

Not having time for a full shower, she filled a bucket with water and put her head into it. The water in the bucket immediately turned pink. Thankfully, her hair changed back to blonde pretty quickly.

"IT WORKS!" came an echoing voice down the hall.

Now who in the world was at the lab at 6:48 am?

"AHA I KNEW IT!" the voice persisted, growing louder by the second.

Honey inched out of her room, her hair still dripping behind her, and looked into the lab. It was empty for a split second until a door to her right burst open and out bounced a jubilant looking Tadashi.

"Tadashi, what-"

"IT WORKS!" Tadashi chirped with the goofiest grin on his face. "You were right! All I had to do was take a shower and go to bed and now it works!"

"Oh! Tadashi, that's _wonderful_!" Honey hopped up in down in excitement, her spirits soaring with happiness for her friend.

"Yeah it is! Ahh, this is going to help so many people. Thank you _so_ much!" Tadashi threw his arms around her in a very tight hug.

"Uhh... you're welcome." Honey replied, eagerly returning the hug.

Tadashi let her go but his arms suddenly grasped her shoulders. She had only a split second to wonder what on earth he was doing when he suddenly brought her in very close to his face.

And then their lips met.

Honey's heart began to race so fast, she almost couldn't hear the individual heartbeats. Her eyes widened for a split second when she, quite inexplicably, felt a sensation of... calmness. That was the best adjective to describe it because there really wasn't a way to put this feeling into words. But she felt comfortable in his arms, her head tilted just to the right and her lips caressing his. She leaned in even more to deepen the kiss, reveling in the softness of his lips and vaguely noticing that he had clearly shaved. He smelled good, as a matter of fact, and it was all she could do not to breathe in his scent of aftershave and baked goods from his aunt's shop. His eyelashes tickled her cheek, nearly causing her to smile through the kiss, and his hands were so gently pulling her in...

As suddenly as it hard started, it was over. Tadashi leaned back, a wide-eyed expression of shock on his face and a blush slowly beginning to form on his cheeks.

"Oh... gosh... Honey, I'm sorry. Just got carried away, I guess." Tadashi smiled awkwardly but his face continued to redden.

Honey let out a nervous giggle. "You were... you were excited." she waved her hand. "It's fine."

"So... we're cool?" Tadashi began rubbing his neck with the palm of his hand, his head tilted downward and giving her an absolutely adorable expression. "I just... I mean I understand if-"

"We're cool." Honey said in a voice that was far too high pitched to sound genuine. "You were just excited. I get it."

"Yeah." Tadashi breathed a laugh. "Okay." he coughed awkwardly. "I'm just going to get back to the lab."

"Congratulations!" Honey called after he had already turned his back. Tadashi whipped around, his eyebrows raised. "For getting Baymax to work."

"Thanks." Tadashi smiled before turning again and sauntering back to the hallfway.

Honey stood and stared at the closed door for nearly a minute. What had she _done_? Tadashi was her best friend! She would never think about him the same way after that. _Never_. But... that wasn't a bad thing, was it?

Too many thoughts and feelings rushed through her head. But she had to focus. Her hair was still dripping behind her head. She had to dry it off and get ready for class. Besides, they had time to talk about it. Later.

Even so, she grinned as she walked back into the lab and shut the door behind her. She would _never_ have guessed that Tadashi would be such a good kisser.

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><p>Cold. Empty.<p>

That's the only way Honey could describe what she felt. A cacophony of words continuously flitted through her mind, unwilling to give her rest or peace with what had happened. There was only a dull ache in the pit of her stomach, a heavy weight on her shoulders that wouldn't ease, a tear in her soul so wide and deep that nothing in the world could heal.

Except time. That's what everyone had said. _Give it time_, they'd said almost mechanically, as if it would stop the grief, as if it would stop the pain. Nothing could heal this. The loss of someone so close, so special… so _vital_. Nothing could fill a crater so vast.

It didn't matter how many hugs she had gotten. None of them counted. She had tried so hard to put on a brave face but there was nothing she or anyone could do.

No one had talked to her in hours and she was okay with that. It had been so hard enough comforting Cass and Hiro, trying to act like the gaping hole in her heart wasn't open and bleeding all over the place. She couldn't even imagine what his family was going through. Anything she felt... it had to be worse for them.

But there was something different about this ache. Honey sat down on her bed and stared at her hands in her lap. They had been so busy with the microbots over that last week. She had barely said two words to him. The memory of their kiss flitted briefly through her mind, causing her heart to be squeezed tightly again. A part of her wanted to forget she ever knew him. And yet another part...

She pushed it down. It was too much to think about on top of everything that had happened. To think that maybe, just maybe, she had... she couldn't have. Could she? Why was she always asking herself that question?

Gritting her teeth so that none of the tears that threatened to fall escaped her eyelids, she got her phone out of her pocket. The bright pink contrasted so much with her black dress, it felt almost foreign in her hand. An echo of a life she could scarcely believe she'd lived less than a week ago. Her shaking fingers pressed the button to turn it on.

And there they were. Wasabi, Gogo, Fred, herself... and him. Smiling serenely at the camera, so innocent, so unaware of what was to come... all of them looked like that. Strangers staring up at her on a screen, so happy, so content...

The picture blurred as the tears finally fell from her eyes. Her friends had been her rock, her go-to if she had needed anything ranging from emotional support to an extra toothbrush. And Tadashi had been such an integral member of that team, such an important person to everyone... but especially to her.

The kiss flashed through her mind again. She hadn't known what to think back then. She had thought she'd have time to think about it. Time to mull it over. Time to talk to Tadashi about what this meant. And now that time had run out...

Time. They said time was the answer. Time had no meaning anymore. Only pain. Only grief. Only the emptiness.

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><p><em>Wow, that was a lot darker than I thought it would be!<em>

_I will warn my Growing Up Haddock readers that pieces of this will sound incredibly familiar soon but since this is a different fandom, I kind of doubt most people will complain about it because most people won't have read it in the other series. But the pieces that I did use were so perfect for this story that I couldn't just let it sit there while I tried desperately to come up with the right words. For that reason, I credit __**EmmerzK**__ for writing a tiny section of this even though she hasn't seen Big Hero 6 yet._

_Don't forget to review!_

_~KateMarie999_


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